A Trail Of Birthday Surprises
by ThisDivaLovesMattHardy
Summary: It's Sara's birthday. Nick surprises her when she gets home from work. Snickers!


DISCLAIMER: I do not own CSI or anything affiliated with it… yadda, yadda, yadda. You know the drill.

NOTE: This was written very late at night and affected by three major factors – CSI on DVD on my TV, lack of/inability to sleep, and a combination of winning a basketball tournament championship and too much Gatorade. XD

SET THE SCENE: Sara and Nick have been… together…for about a month and a half. It's Sara's birthday, and of course, she's working. Where the story begins Sara is leaving the lab, and, unbeknownst to her, Nick's at home setting up, as the title reads, a trail of birthday surprises.

The tall frame that was Sara Sidle walked out of the CSI locker room and down the hall toward the doors leading outside to the employee parking lot. Her strides came to an abrupt halt when Greg seemed to materialize out of nowhere in front of her.

"Hey! Sara! Glad I caught you before you left."

"I know I don't have anything pending in DNA, Greg," she said, "so what's up?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just wanted to wish you a happy birthday," he replied with a silly grin. "Oh, and Grissom's been looking for you."

"Thanks, Greg," she said, and walked past him without another word.

"Bye to you, too," Greg thought aloud, bewildered.

Sara didn't hear him. What she wanted more than anything was to get out of and away from the lab, to do something more enjoyable with what was left of her birthday. What she didn't know yet was how well her time would be spent once she got home.

Her mind snapped back to reality as she knocked on Grissom's open door. "Hey. Word in the halls is that you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah. I just read your final report on the Tangiers double homicide case. Very good work, as usual."

"Oh, er, thanks," she said.

He merely shrugged. "So, you heading out for the night?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, good night… and happy birthday."

"Thanks," she smirked, and disappeared from the doorway.

Less than twenty minutes later, Sara pulled her black Denali into Nick's driveway. She smiled to herself as she unlocked the door and let herself in, happy to be home at last.

As she set her purse on the table, she noticed that the lights were unusually dim. Glancing down, she saw a small slip of paper, a note scrawled in Nick's familiar handwriting. It read;

Sara- 

_Welcome home. Are you ready to see your birthday surprises? Follow the trail on the floor, it'll lead you to the first one…_

She smiled as her eyes fell to the floor, finding a trail of rose petals, leading to the living room. She followed them, and found that they led to another note lying on the couch, this one attached to a photograph. The photograph was from Sara's impromptu "Welcome to CSI" party; she and Nick were seated next to each other at the table in the break room. Next, her eyes fell to the note.

_Remember that? That day, six years ago? That was the day I found what I'd been looking for. That was the day I realized that you were the only one for me, and I've loved you ever since. Now, if you will, please continue..._

This time, the path led her into the guest bedroom. Here she found a golden rose and a napkin from a small café lying on top of the comforter. Of course, a third note accompanied these items.

_The rose symbolizes the flower I had for you when I arrived on your doorstep for our first date. The napkin symbolizes the café where we shared dinner... and our first kiss, which felt like it could last forever._

_And now, for the final surprise of the evening, please follow the trail of rose petals to the end of the hall..._

Sara smiled broadly as the trail of red rose petals brought her to the open bedroom door. As she walked in and to the foot of the bed, she felt her breath catch. The room was lit by at least two dozen candles, placed strategically around the room on the dressers, bedside tables, and windowsills. Her eyes flicked to the bed, where she found the fourth and final note.

_Ah, I see you've found your way to the final surprise. If you'll wait for just a moment, I'll show it to you._

Nick, who had been standing in the dark corner behind the door when Sara entered, smiled to himself at the look on her face. He snuck out from his hiding place and walked up behind her, slipping one hand over her eyes and the other arm around his waist.

"Guess who?" he whispered in her ear.

"Hmm..." she replied, smiling. "Could it be... Nicky?"

He smiled, and his lips massaged their way down her neck. "Happy birthday..."

She turned to look in his eyes, and slipped her arms around his neck. He felt his hands drift over her shoulders and down her sides, finally coming to rest just above her hips.

"So," she asked quietly. "What's my big surprise?"

"A delicious, candle-lit spaghetti dinner, prepared by yours truly, complete with a bottle of the finest champagne."

Sara stared into his deep brown eyes, the very things that had attracted her to him in the beginning. "I'm not hungry…" she began. "At least not for spaghetti."

He looked a bit disappointed. "Oh. Well... what do you want?"

She smiled and stepped closer, leaning against him so that their faces were barely and inch apart. "This," she said, and pressed her lips to his. This was what she loved about spending time alone with Nick: the heat from his body could warm her in the coldest of temperatures, the feel of his skin on hers was encouraging and allowed her to do all the things she'd been longing to. She increased the kiss' intensity, teasing his tongue with hers.

Nick smiled against her lips, and felt one of his hands slip up the back of her shirt, his fingertips caressing her warm, smooth skin.

Sara pulled away, smiling widely. She sat on the bed and laid back, bringing him with her. She wrapped her arms around his neck again as her lips met his in another kiss, more passionate this time.

The food, candles, and all other things were forgotten as their bodies became entwined together in a sea of sheets, blankets, and shed clothing

:- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :- :-:

The next morning, Nick woke to find a still-sleeping Sara next to him, head on his shoulder and arm draped across his body. He rubbed her head softly, threading his fingers through her soft brown locks. He smiled when he saw her eyes open slowly. He kissed her forehead softly a few times. "Morning…"

She rubbed her eyes, smiled, and scooted closer to him. "Morning, cowboy," she replied.

He grinned at her words, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Did you enjoy your birthday gifts?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded, tracing tiny circles on his bare chest with a finger. "Especially that last one. Thank you."

"Well, you know, I try," he smirked, staring up at the ceiling. When Sara didn't reply he glanced down at her, and discovered that she'd fallen back asleep.

Okay, the end! Hope you enjoyed it! Now, click that little 'Go' button next to the 'Submit Review' box, if you will!


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